Proctor, Solicitor, Advocate, Barrister,
Municipal Councillor, Mayor, Member of Parliament and Ceylon's (now Sri Lanka)
Ambassador in Paris and the Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya.
That is the string of achievements acquired by Edmund Frederick Lorensz de Silva
- the sportsman, lawyer, politician who completed 58 years at the Kandy
Bar.

Mr. de Silva was commonly known to the
residents of Kandy and outside as 'Fred' and his colleagues and litigants
called him 'Lion of the Kandy Bar' as he dominated the Criminal Bar for 58 years
with a lucrative practice like his father late Mr. George E. de Silva who
dominated the Criminal Bar for well over 30 years.

'Fred' was the second son of veteran
politician and statesman late Mr. George E. de Silva who fought to achieve
Independence and Adult Franchise for this country along with national leaders
like late D. S. Senanayake, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir Baron Jayatilleke,
E. W. Perera, A. E. Goonesinghe and S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.

His brother late Mr. Percy de Silva was
an outstanding Legal Draftsman, the country produced.

'Fred' and 'Percy were keen ruggerites
and they played for the Kandy Sports Club and Kandy Rovers.

'Fred' was named Edmund Frederick Lorensz
after his famous father, George Edmund, his maternal grandfather Frederick
Lorensz. He commenced his infant education at Hillwood Girls' School in Kandy.
Next he entered Trinity College under Frazer and from there went to S. Thomas'
College, Mount Lavinia. In the Final Year of his secondary education he returned
to Trinity before being admitted to the Ceylon Law College.

At school 'Fred' excelled at Rugger and
Football having won his Colours at Football at S. Thomas' and at Rugger at
Trinity. As a school boy he had the proud distinction of having played for the
Rest Team in the Ceylon Vs. the Rest rugger match in 1930. In later years he
played rugger for the C.R. & F.C., under Noel Gratiaen. He captained the
'Rovers' in Kandy and played for Kandy Sports Club.

'Fred's' was a talented family. His
sisters Marcia and Minnette were equally gifted. Marcia was a historian and even
wrote a book in French on the 'Life of the Buddha'. Minnette became Sri Lanka's
first woman architect.

In 1931 'Fred' won the Open Law
Scholarship. Having completed the Course for Proctors, he was admitted in 1935.
As a Proctor 'Fred' commenced his practice in his father's office - De Silva
& Karunaratne - and moulded his professional and public life on that of his
father. He was elected to the Kandy Municipal Council in 1939, and continued to
be there for 23 years.

He was elected Mayor of Kandy in 1947.
His father represented the same Ward for 25 years and it is a unique honour for
a father and a son to represent the Kandy Municipal Council for nearly half a
century.

As Proctor and Mayor, 'Fred' had the
doubled privilege of being a litigant and witness in the box in a Court of Law
when an Election Petition was filed against his father with 'Fred' as one of the
Respondents.

This experience enabled him to understand
the agony of a Witness under cross-examination and also the tribulations of a
litigant who might ultimately win his Case but end up near insolvent perhaps
having had to raise loans and mortgage or sell properties to fight his Case. He
always stressed that laws grind the poor and rich men rule the law.

Fred's trauma entered to the benefit of
the Kandyan peasantry in later years. On the advice of the late Mr. R. L.
Pereira, K.C., 'Fred' qualified as an Advocate in 1950 and was later called to
the Bar from Gray's Inn in London in 1959. He said, 'I made my professional
career primarily a service to the people.

His fee was depended on the circumstances
of the Client and the question of a fee did not arise in certain cases. In any
Case mine was never by the day but a block fee. 'Fred's success at the Bar did
not depend on any cause celebre. His was a practice built like a solid house
brick by brick as it were.

When 'Fred' was Mayor of Kandy in 1947,
the entire area from Peradeniya to Getambe and a part of Kandy was devastated by
the major flood that year and he faced this grave disaster with courage and
determination and saw to the comforts of the 20,000 refugees. As recognition of
this gesture he was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) for
Humanitarian work in the Flood Relief. In 1954, 'Fred' was elected the Member of
Parliament for Kandy and represented the Constituents of Kandy till 1957.

During his Mayoralty, Dangolla and
Mavilmada Housing Schemes were initiated. He was responsible for the opening of
the tunnel leading to Anniewatte.

He was Ambassador for Sri Lanka in France
and Switzerland from 1968 to 1971 and was also appointed as the first Permanent
Representative of Sri Lanka to the UNESCO, and was the head of the Sri Lanka's
Delegation to UNESCO from 1968 to 1971. He was also elected by representatives
from 150 Nations by secret ballot to the governing body of the UNESCO,
(Executive Board) for six years. He was the first Sri Lankan to be appointed to
this prestigious body. He was also the President of the Kandy YMCA, for 17
years.

Fred's son Desmond de Silva, Q.C., London
Barrister, City of London Councilman (Farrington Without Ward) who made history
of being the first Asian elected here and former Circuit Court Judge who sat at
Knightsbridge Crown Court. On 5th December, 1987, he brought history, splendour
and romance by marrying Her Royal Highness Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia,
great-great-great-great grand daughter of Queen Victoria, grand daughter of the
assassinated King Alexander I, cousin of both the Queen and Prince Philip.